New technology can completely change the way we experience and interact with the world. It can provide us with new sources of entertainment and information and it can give us tools for creation that enable us to turn our best and most ambitious ideas into reality. If you’re reading this site, then you know that already.
But sampling the latest technology does not come without risks, and there are certainly some potential downsides to being an early adopter. Here we will look at the dangers involved when you’re right on the cutting edge and how you can manage them to ensure you don’t get burned by flying too close to the sun…
Risk #1: It Might Not Work…
New technology is by definition always going to be less tested than old technology. If you have the latest kind of smartphone, then you’ll be one of the first people to use that smartphone and there may be some glitches as a result – or it might simply be impractical.
Devices and ideas tend to get ‘honed’ over time in response to customer feedback and other issues, but if your technology is completely new then you won’t get to benefit from that.
Risk #2: Lack of Support
When you use cutting-edge technology you’re also not going to get the same kind of support you would have enjoyed before. I once transitioned from an iPhone to a ‘Dell Streak’ (the first ‘phablet’). Of course I was moving from a big brand name with tons of support to a completely untested device that only something like 80 other people bought. When my screen cracked, there was no one who could repair it for me and it only cracked because there were no cases available for the device in the first place…
Of course, the hope when you buy new technology is that it will catch on and eventually have a lot of support. But if it never does, you may be forced to switch to a more popular system losing a fair amount of money in the process. I got burned by the Dell Streak, but also by the Sega Saturn, the Sega Dreamcast and the XDA Exec. Waiting does have its advantages…
Risk #3: Security
That lack of testing and feedback that I mentioned earlier can also lead to other risks. One is that there may be security issues that haven’t been spotted yet – so if you’re connecting to the web on a new device you might be risking your information getting leaked. Make sure to be thorough when it comes to security software, especially when you’re using untested technology.
A perfect example is Google Glass. This is an amazing new piece of technology, but it has some clear security issues surrounding it – not least the fact that it can easily be used to record conversations illicitly. Until these issues have been worked out, you could be at risk.
Risk #4: Mocking
When you are the first to trial new technology, there is always a slight risk that you’ll be opening yourself up to ridicule. That’s what happened to me when I was the first person to start using a 5” phone and it’s bound to happen with Google Glass. Of course there will be those who say ‘wow’ as well, but the question is whether you think those few occasions will make up for all the odd looks…
